Turkish prime minister resumes tough rhetoric against Israel claiming it failed to annihilate Strip by withholding food, medications and therefore now trying to subdue it with airstrikes

Aviel Magnezi|Published: 03.13.12 , 18:37

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
harshly slammed Israel
on Tuesday claiming it is committing a massacre in Palestine in the backdrop of the recent flare-up
on the Gaza border area.

Speaking at the Turkish parliament, Erdogan described Gaza as the world's largest open air prison. He added that Israel is continuing its massacre in Gaza with airstrikes after failing to annihilate it by withholding food and medication.

Ignoring the fact that most of the Palestinian fatalities in the current round of violence were terrorists, Erdogan stated that "twenty-three Gazas lost their lives in the past five days, including children on their way to school."

He added, "A genocide has been committed slowly but systematically in Palestine since the beginning of the 20th century."

Erdogan said that "the resistance fighters" were not militants or terrorists, but dissidents who are protecting their rights and their lands.

Erdogan linked violence in the south to anti-Muslim events around the world and addressed the murder of 16 Afghans by a US soldier earlier this week. He said he wished the Afghan and Palestinian fatalities "revenge from Allah."

He added, "I once more reiterate my call to Israel to end its inhumane attack on Gaza and Palestine's territories, and I particularly call on Israeli citizens, who are also victims of a genocide, to object to genocide attempts against Palestinians and ask their state to end state terrorism."